Communication Patterns in Joint Decision-Making

Communication is a key aspect of the joint decision-making process, yet the field lacks an understanding of how people talk to each other while making joint decisions. In this article, the authors analyzed nearly 200 joint decision conversations from shop-along observations. They found that joint decision conversations are composed of four distinct communication patterns, which characterize how partners talk to each other: (1) coordination (including inquiry and disclosure), (2) contrast (including persuasion and devil's advocate), (3) build, and (4) one-sided. The authors then used these communication patterns as the building blocks of joint decision conversations to quantitatively model how they dynamically flow as partners shop together, finding that decision partners navigate the decision life cycle nonlinearly and communication pattern usage affects immediate satisfaction outcomes. The findings enable connections to be drawn across the splintered literatures on dyadic communication. The authors develop a taxonomy that reflects an integrated, cross-disciplinary phenomenological understanding of each communication pattern to facilitate interdisciplinary research. Theoretical advancements and practical implications are discussed, as are areas for future research.